Lost at Sea II: Five Years Later

Chapter 4

Flashback

Keira glanced around her small home on the island of Tortuga, her eyes falling on the docks just outside her window. She sighed, longing to see Jack once more and be free on the sea with him and the Pearl. She felt a small bump and placed her hands over her belly with a smile.

"It will soon be time, little one," she cooed. "I just hope Jack will be here in time to see you come into this world."

She gave the docks one last unhappy glance and turned away from the window, a tear streaking her cheek at the thought of Jack not coming back.

The days dragged on with no sign of Jack nor of the Black Pearl. Keira kept constant watch on the docks as her pregnancy came to its close. Her fear of Jack never returning to her brought her spirits down every moment she glanced at the waters of the bay and she wished he would at least send word to her that he was alive.

The morning of James' birth Jack still had not returned. Keira felt the pains of childbirth early that morning, waking up with a shout as the contractions ripped through her. Since Tortuga was not a very civil island there was no doctor around her small home, so she was forced to suffer alone.

By mid afternoon the pains were coming quicker and more frequent and Keira grew afraid she would bear her child alone. She screamed out in pain and the front door of the home burst open, Jack and Gibbs rushing to her side. She smiled weakly up at him, the tears falling freely down her cheeks, the sweat beading on her forehead.

Jack soothed her, wiping her sweaty hair from her face and placing soft kisses on her forehead. Keira grabbed his hand as she screamed out, Gibbs helping her deliver the baby. Jack yelped in pain as she squeezed his hand and cradled it as Keira went limp with exhaustion.

"Jack, wake her up, she must be awake," Gibbs warned, "she needs to push."

Jack nodded and slapped her across the face, making her yell out. She glared at him and Gibbs instructed her on what to do. Keira nodded and took a deep breath, listening to the older man's instructions. There was an earsplitting scream from both Keira and the baby and Gibbs held up the crying boy.

"Congratulations Cap'n, you have a little boy," Gibbs smiled as Keira passed out again.

"Watch Keira's pulse, she needs to stay stable," the older man instructed his eyes on Keira as her breath became even in sleep.

"She'll be fine, mate, just let her recover," Jack muttered, cradling the crying boy in his arms.

Gibbs helped clean Keira up and he carried her into her bedroom, placing her gently on the bed. She let out a sigh and opened her eyes to see Jack standing in the corner of the room with their son in his arms, a blanket wrapped around him.

"Come, he needs me," she croaked, holding her arms out for the child.

Jack nodded and carefully placed the boy in her arms, watching her feed him for the first time. He smiled and pulled up a wooden chair from the desk in the corner of the room. Keira glared at him as he got comfortable and he recoiled.

"Love, what's the matter?" he asked, frowning at the look on her face.

"You made me suffer for nearly a fortnight, worrying if you were alive, Jack! How could you!" she said sharply, her voice to weak to shout.

"I'm sorry love, I had a slight mishap with a slave trader on the coast of Africa. They wanted me to sell slaves to the Americas for gold. I refused and they opened fire on the Pearl. That delayed my coming."

Keira cursed him under her breath and turned her attention to her newborn who had fallen asleep in her arms. She adjusted her shirt and lifted him to burp him before placing him in a cradle beside the bed.

"What will we name him?" she asked quietly.

"What do you wish to name him?"

"James," Keira whispered, brushing his dark hair from his face. "James Sparrow."

"Why would you name our boy after Norrington?" Jack demanded with a sickened look on his face.

"I choose the name James for more than just the Commodore! It is a proud name and Norrington was a good man. He may have gone astray in the end but he did play a large part in my life and I must make up for that somehow. My father killed him for God's sake!"

Jack nodded, remembering Keira telling him this. He remembered the tears in her eyes and the hurt in her voice when she told him of his death and nodded. "Very well, his name will be James."

Keira smiled, the exhaustion reclaiming her and she felly back to sleep finally at peace with the knowledge that Jack was alive and well.

End Flashback

Keira opened her eyes, the memory of her long pregnancy fading. She shook her head and sat up, hearing Jack snore beside her. She slid out of bed and moved around the room to find something to wear, her hands stumbling upon something silky as she fumbled through drawers. She pulled out the kimono she'd been given while on the Empress and smiled, slipping off her tunic and pulling the garment on. It fit snugly, hugging her curves in all the right places. Keira smiled and admired the intricately designed clothing before strapping her sash to her waist and moving toward the door.

"Where are you going?" Jack croaked, grabbing her hand as she moved past him.

"I was going to wake James, sleep Jack," she smiled.

"Where did you find that?" he motioned to her kimono as he sat up.

Keira shrugged, "I found it, is that a problem?"

"Not at all," he grinned, scrubbing his face to rid it of sleep. He got to his feet and swayed for a moment, before following his wife from the cabin.

James lay asleep in the study, his bunk ruffled and messy from his movement. The boy was sprawled out, his leg dangling over the side of the bunk as he slept. Keira smiled, bending down beside him and shaking him awake. He groaned and turned away from her, not wanting to get up.

"James, wake up darling," she whispered, shaking him once again.

"No," he growled, swatting her hand away.

"If you don't wake up Uncle William can not teach you how to use that sword of yours," she smiled, nudging him once again.

At that James shot up from his bunk, his short brown hair a mess from sleep. Keira smoothed it and placed his hat on his head before grabbing a cloth to wash his face. She then led her son out onto the deck where Jack had continued and looked up to see him standing at the helm, the wind whipping his hair and bandanna across his face.

"Jack what are you doing?" Keira called up to him as the rest of the crew sat around the deck playing cards and drinking rum.

"Nothing, Love," he muttered, staring distractedly over the bay.

Keira figured he was just letting the want to sail consume him in the early morning sun. She smiled, taking her son's hand and led him to their prepared longboat. Gibbs joined her and rowed the two to shore. He waved them off, making his way to a local tavern for more rum while Keira led her son to the smithy.

"Mother, will Miss Elizabeth be there with her baby?" James asked as Keira led him through the streets, the memories of her night adventure with Norrington and Benny coming back to her.

"No, James, only William. We will see Miss Elizabeth later, okay?" she smiled down at him, flicking a long strand of hair from her face.

James nodded and pushed the smithy door open to see Will bending over the fire, the hilt of a sword in his hand. He looked up when the light from outside spilled into the room and smiled at the sight of his nephew.

"James! You're here early. Come watch me finish this sword and we will continue with your lessons, all right?"

"Yes!" James beamed and ran over to Will, watching him with wide eyes as he banged a mallet against the steel.

"I suspect you won't be in Prot Royal very long, Keira? Jack seems to be getting restless," Will said as he placed the sword in a bucket of water, the stream sizzling from the heat of the metal.

"Yes, the want to be on the sea seems to be eating at him. If Elizabeth were not carrying a child, he would most likely be more than happy to have you two come along with us," Keira shrugged. "I have a feeling something is going to happen in the near future as well, though I do not know what."

"Don't worry, sister, Elizabeth and I will be fine here, go be free with your husband, is that not why you married him?"

The memory of their unplanned wedding returned to Keira and she smiled, "I have no idea why I married him, I love him. I will return to Port Royal soon, though. You know I will."

"Yes of course," Will nodded, dodging a poke from James, who was trying to distract Will's attention.

"I'm sorry James, here, don't thrust so enthusiastically, make sure your arm is stiff…"

Keira laughed as she watched her son struggle with the many instructions he was receiving from his uncle. She glanced out the open door into the streets of Port Royal, her eyes falling on the sparkling waters of the bay. She knew something was going to happen, whether it was good or bad, she did not know, but this happiness she was felling was just the quiet before a very rough storm.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXXOXOXOXOX

Yay! Another chapter! I thought you'd all like some flashback action cuz I didn't really explain what happened on Tortuga that made Keira hate it so much. Anyway, this is really like a filler chapter before I get into what I started planning to happen. It's not really set what I want for the next chapter, I just have a couple general ideas thanks to a few reviews I got with some decent suggestions. So for all that left me ideas, I thank you, and for all that just reviewed to tell me it was good or simply just read the chapter, I thank you as well. Here's the chapter to kick of the '07!

Thanks!

Sadie.

PS. Don't forget to review!